The radiance you gave me
by Kaiser-B
Summary: After getting yourself back together since the incident that occurred while you were young, you've committed to leading a positive life. As simple, easygoing, and repetitive as it is- you can't ignore the deep nagging feeling of emptiness. Surely this can't be all there is to your life, Or have you missed out on so much already? {MakotoxReader}
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hi guys! thanks so much for taking the time to stop and have a read at my story. I've taken up arms to make a ReaderxMakoto fic because FREE is what I'm really into at the moment, and Makoto strikes alot of girl's fancies (Askdncjbkg). I'm aware that fanfiction discourages 2nd POV(no matter how much better it is to write in -.-) so this was written in 1st person-which made sense to do in my head. I really did try my best :"). This may be my first story, but I don't expect any special treatment- If you have anything to say nice or rude,or any constructive criticism, or if my 1st person is just too weird- maybe leave a review? *ahem* without any further ado.

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Chapter 1: Taking a Breather

_I stood before my parents while anxiously clenching my pink ruffled dress. They were pressed against time, trying to get me to understand the situation at hand._

_"Honey, we'll be back in three days." My mother assured. She crouched down to my level and placed her hands on my shoulders. "We talked about this a few days ago, don't you remember?" She asked, looking back at my dad who glanced back at her with worry._

_I diverted my gaze to the ground, the tears welling up. "I know, I know...but we always go out as a family..." I choked out, my voice breaking with the will to cry. I desperately tried to hold back the tears, and anxiously twiddled with the hem of my dress._

_"Yes, but this year's Anniversary is for Mommy and Daddy only, which is why I want you to stay with Uncle Haga, okay?" She explained. At the mention of his name, I turned my head back to look at my Uncle, who only looked at me awkwardly with his hands stuffed in his pockets. I'm not against going to my Uncle's house, I've visited him before. I'm just very upset with the fact that my parents are going on a fun vacation without me, it would be a first._

_"If we don't hurry, we'll miss our flight." My Dad informed, gesturing at the Plane's departure time with his arms crossed._

_My Mom then slid her hands to my back, bringing me to a tight embrace, before releasing me and walking over to stand next to Dad. "Take care of her until we get back". She said to Uncle._

_That was all I could take- the reality that they were really leaving right this moment hit me hard. Chunky tears streamed down my face as I moved over to hold Uncle Haga's hand, and with my free hand, I roughly whipped them away. I was sniffing now and again, a clear frown displayed on my face._

_"Take care you two, I Love you." Mom said, waving at us._

_Dad smiled, "Three days is nothing, we'll be there and back before you know it." He said jokingly, trying to make me feel better, but the flow of my tears just wasn't slowing down._

_My Dad picked up the luggage resting beside his feet before taking my Moms hand in his, and they both turned, heading for the doors that led to the plane. "Happy Anniversary!" I croaked, meaning for them to hear, but the lump in my throat was so big that it came out merely as a whisper. I watched as their forms grew distant, and gripped my Uncle's hand harder._

_Just three Days, and they'll be back_.

"_."

"Hey."

"Hey!"

I blinked several times, my vision focusing back on the reality I hadn't realized I had left. I turned to the one that had been calling me, My Co-worker Goro Sasabe. He and my Uncle are old friends, and he helped me get a job at this Pizza Place so I could make some money on the side. I'm working here as a part timer until my second year starts.

He eyed me curiously. "When I passed by you fifteen minutes ago, you were kneading the dough. I come back, and you're still kneading it."

As if to confirm what he's saying is true, I looked down at my hands, They were heavily covered in flour that was used to thicken the dough, and the rolling pin that had apparently been used was cast aside at some point. "Sorry, I didn't know I was out of it." I said sheepishly.

"Uh huh..." He remarked, his amber eyes boring into mine. "You might want to work a little faster, Time is money y'know". He lightly shooed me to the side, taking over what I was working on. I puckered my lips in thought then looked at my hands. _Might as well go wash these first._ I shuffled over to the sink and hummed along with the mellow tune playing on the radio. I looked around the Kitchen area as I washed my hands- The counters were dirty with fragments of pizza topping scattered all over it, and the floor was dirtied with footprints going in different directions, I'd have to clean all that later. As slow as work could be sometimes, I found myself enjoying it. It gave me things to keep me busy, I was somewhere other than home, and I had company other than my uncle; though I wish I had someone my age to talk to-no offense to Goro, he's a cool guy. I watched the water shower over my hands in a daze, and after a moment shook my head, stopping myself from drifting off into space again. After my hands were cleaned, I made my way back over to Goro, using my uniform as a towel for my hands. He was already placing the Pizza in the oven, '_man he's fast'_. "The Pizza might be a little late…" He muttered to himself. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, he took the Pizza Pie out of the oven and placed it in the box imprinted with the store's logo. He brushed past me, reaching to grab the Red helmet that sat on the shelf.

"Hang on, How about I do the Delivery this time?" I suggested.

"Eh?" He asked, frozen in place. He gave me that dumbfounded look I've seen one too many times.

"C'mon It's only fair, you worked hard to make up for the time I wasted on kneading the dough. So how about you take a break and I deliver it?" I explained clearly.

"Hmm…" The hand that reached for the helmet pulled back, and moved over to scratch the back of his neck. He then took a glance at the clock before looking back at me. "Alright." He replied after a moment.

"Yes! That means I get to ride the-"

"Nope." He interjected, My excitement immediately deflating. "You will deliver this on foot, and if you hurry you'll make it in time."

"That's…really mean." I muttered, baffled at his conditions.

"Hey, it'll be a nice walk. It'll also give you a chance to clear your head." He jested while pointing to his skull with a teasing smile.

'_How could I possibly argue with that_?' I playfully rolled my eyes and went to grab the box."What's the address?" Recalling where he placed the note, he quickly paced towards me and stuffed it in my hand. I took a moment to process what was written on it, committing the address to memory before moving my hand back under the box to support its weight. "Alright, I'll be back soon."

"Don't take too long, that pizza was supposed to be on its way ten minutes ago!" He exclaimed.

"Got it!" I called back to him, moving even quicker.

As soon as I had left the shop I was bathed in warm sunlight, yet caressed by a faint breeze all the same. Although it was summer, it wasn't as hot as I thought it'd be, then I took note of the orange tinting my skin and realized the heat was toned down since it was sunset. The neighborhood was nice and peaceful, the buzzing of Cicadas only adding to that effect. I don't get to go out a lot during my shift, I'm stuck indoors preparing the Pizzas and answering any calls, or attending customers. Goro of course helps me out, but he's the only one that gets to Deliver. He at least gets some fresh air and I envy him for that. Being outside at this time of hour is really pleasant and something I want to savor as much as I can, That's why I should hurry and deliver this pizza in time, so I could take my sweet time getting back to the shop while enjoying the fresh air. Now that sounded like a plan.

As much as I thought I could run, I only sprinted for about twenty seconds, All the while Gaining a few curious stares from passersby, and I had to constantly adjust the pizza box in my hands so that I wouldn't drop it. Finally halting to a stop, my heart pounded in my chest, and my lungs ached for a steady stream of air. I kept going regardless of the pain-remembering that I couldn't waste anymore time and decided on stabilizing my breathing along the way. The place was farther than I had thought, and when I asked someone loitering by a convenience store what time it was- I felt disappointed. The pizza had been more than thirty minutes late, and I still had a ways to go. _Dammit._

The sky had already grown to be a darker hue of blue by the time I reached my destination, any traces of orange in the sky already gone. I steadied my breathing, wiped a few beads of sweat from my forehead, and fiddled with my hair in a last minute attempt to look "presentable". I rang the doorbell and took a step back so I wouldn't be in the persons face when they opened the door. As soon as the door opened I heard a big commotion on the other side and couldn't suppress a smile when I heard cheering along the lines of "Pizza's here. Pizza's here." A brunette with shamrock-green eyes had been the one to answer the door. He was wearing a baggy blue T-shirt, and plain black shorts. Now did I really hope I looked decent in his presence-He was rather attractive.

"Hi." He greeted, a welcoming smile gracing his lips.

"Hello." I greeted back, bowing to him nervously. "This is the Tachibana Residence, right?" I asked, already handing the Pizza box over to him.

"Yeah, that's right. Thank you." he replied, Shifting over the box to hold in one hand, while fishing around the pockets in his shorts with the other, Presumably fishing for money for the pizza.

"Oh um, originally the Pizza was twenty, but since it was late- it's free. I'm terribly sorry about that." I meekly explained. Goro is gonna chew me out for returning back late AND being empty handed. "Enjoy your Pizza." I added, beginning to turn on my heel.

"No wait, hang on." He said, and went back inside the house. He had left the door slightly ajar and the commotion from inside drifted clearly in my ears, I smiled to myself. It sounded very…lively.

"Save some for me, guys!" I heard him say before stepping out again, empty handed this time. "Sorry about that." He said, chuckling lightly while extending a hand toward me. I looked down at the extended hand, mouth slightly agape in confusion-and then I realized.

"You really don't have to, I mean- are you sure?" I asked, half curious and half coy. This is probably the first time I've ever seen anyone deny free pizza, I couldn't help but be a little surprised, after all, It's FREE PIZZA.

When I caught his stare, he gave me a reassuring smile. With his easy-going demeanor he probably smiled a lot, not that I argued, it was rather charming."You came all this way, right? Please." He insisted. If he put it that way, how could I possibly refuse? He looks like he wouldn't take no for an answer anyway. I outstretched my hand and accepted the money he offered me, briefly brushing my fingers with his. I politely bowed to The brunette boy while thanking a wave of farewell I turned on my heel, and started my walk back to the shop. As I walked, I felt a strange feeling, and couldn't fight the tendency to turn around. When I chanced back a glance, I saw that that brunette boy was still outside with his eyes on me, I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, shouldn't he have gone inside and enjoyed his pizza already?

"Did I forget something?" I dumbly asked, fully aware that I only came here with the pizza box. We were still within hearing range if we spoke loud enough, so yelling wasn't necessary. I saw him shake his head, The light from his house casting a big shadow that mimicked his movements.

"No it's just-It's kind of dark, will you be okay?" He questioned. Oh so he's worried about me, That's awfully sweet. I looked up at the sky, and the longer I stared, the more stars appeared into view. It wouldn't get any darker than this, and there were plenty of streetlights around. I should be pretty safe as long as I stay on the main road and keep a move on.

When I opened my mouth to reply, I heard a woman's voice drift from the other side of his door.

"Makoto?"

When he turned to answer whoever called him, I took that as my chance to escape, not wishing to take anymore of his time. I jogged and cut through a few corners to escape his field of view. When I realized It was a shorter route, I mentally facepalmed for not recalling it sooner when I had to rush my delivery. I continued with a brisk pace, noting the change of atmosphere. It was cooler now,The Cicadas were no longer buzzing, Crickets chirping faintly in their place, and It felt very empty. I was suddenly conscious that I had been clenching my left hand the entire time, the hand with the money in it. When I opened up my hand and smoothed out the bill, I found that there was another bill folded under the other. The original twenty dollars, and another five dollars as a tip for me. I couldn't suppress the urge to smile as I gingerly placed the money in my uniform pocket. _Makoto...Makoto Tachibana is it? What a really nice guy._


	2. Chapter 2

**Yoohoo, anyone out there? Sorry for the mad delay, i started college- that was busy, but i didnt forget you guys, I'd write in my spare time. Also, this chapter is almost 4k words, it's a slow buildup of story, please bear with me, but not too slow.**

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It was like a forced start. I was conscious, although my body had felt too heavy to move. The day had finally come-The first day of school. Well more like my second day, I had missed out on the opening ceremony yesterday because I slept in. I laid in my bed while staring at the ceiling with half open eyes. 'C'mon get up' I mentally chanted. Being absent on the first day was one thing, but also being late on the second day was not a good way to start.

My door flew open and I jolted awake, startled. "Why are you still in bed?" My uncle asked sternly. He had opened the door with such a force I thought he'd been angry, but he looked like his regular grumpy self. He furrowed his brows at me. "I know you missed the first day of school, don't think I didn't notice. I won't allow you to be absent anymore. After all, you're not a delinquent."

_'Just what kind of person does my Uncle think I am? I only overslept once!_' I looked down and rolled my eyes so he wouldn't see the rude action. I leaned up to a sitting position and hung my legs over the edge of the bed, Giving myself a moment before getting up. "You had better hustle" I heard him say before hearing retreating thumping sounds, which was of him going down the stairs. I sluggishly got up and scratched my head as I made my way over to the bathroom.

Clean teeth and face? Check.

Styled hair? Check.

Wearing unwrinkled uniform? Check.

I glanced at the time and bit my lip. I'll have to miss breakfast in order to make it in time for school, and It's not like I have a boxed lunch that was prepared for me beforehand. The thought stung my heart for a moment. Guess I'll have to do without. "Bye!" I called out to my uncle who I guessed was watching TV in the kitchen, judging by the background noise. He only grunted back in response. I gently closed the door and locked it, before turning on my heel and running in the direction of school.

The streets were pretty empty as I ran. Had I come earlier, I would've seen many other students walking in the same direction as me. The neighborhood was quiet, the only sounds ringing in my ears were the quick steps of my school slippers clicking against the pavement, My heavy breaths, and even the few chirping of birds.

"I..I made it.." I said in between breaths as I knelt down and put my hands on my knees in order to catch my breath. Beads of sweat dripped from my forehead to the ground. My break was cut short as I heard that familiar chime of the school bell. Time to run again…

I had to first head down to the Faculty Office to get my room number since I had missed orientation. When I entered-some of the faculty were chatting in low voices, and others were looking intently at their Computer monitors. I looked around and tried to scan around for anyone who I felt wasn't too busy and had a calm demeanor, a lecture this early in the morning was the last thing I needed. My gaze halted on a lady that was picking up several books from her desk, presumably to leave. _'she'll have to do'_ I decided. It was rude enough approaching her as she was ready to leave, so I rushed over to her at least before she could stand up.

"Excuse me?" I asked. She looked over at me with her dark grey eyes as I approached her. She was wearing a white turtle neck collared shirt with a pinkish business-like jacket worn over it, and she had short light brown hair that reached her neck.

"Yes? How may I help you?" She replied, releasing the book she clutched against her chest and placing it on the desk.

"Sorry to bother you, but I wasn't here yesterday, so I'd like to know where my homeroom is." She stared at me for a bit before turning to her monitor, and waking it from its sleep mode.

"Yes, Certainly." Came her response. I watched as she swiftly worked her fingers against the keyboard. "Name and year?"

"Oh it's _ _, and I'm a second-year."

When she rapidly typed in my name and year, a picture of me along with any other information showed up. I looked away from the monitor to prevent myself from reading specific information that I didn't have to repeat to myself.

"Yes, here we are. Your homeroom number is 2-1, and your homeroom teacher's name is Amakata Miho." She informed. _'Oh, I have a different homeroom teacher this year_.'

"You should hurry, you're already five minutes late for class." She said while gesturing at the clock.  
"And please try to get to school on time. In the real world you'll find it's a harsh consequence being late or being absent for anything." She advised.

I heeded her words. "Yes ma'am." I replied, and fast walked out of the faculty office.

"Kaori Oda?"

"Here!" I heard from the other side of my homeroom door as I approached it.

Good, she's still taking attendance, hopefully she hadn't called my name yet. When I slid open the door, I gave an apologetic bow and excused myself while avoiding the curious stares of my classmates.  
"That's alright, why don't you take a seat over there?" My teacher said while gesturing to an empty seat which was in the third row from the back, and placed next to the window_. 'Thank goodness, she seems easy going enough_.' I focused my gaze to the empty seat, any other face staring at me- a blur. I just wasn't good with that kind of attention, even though I knew it'd only last until she resumed attendance. My teacher tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shifted her posture.  
"Right…where was I...?" she muttered to herself, while scanning the list of names. "Ah, yes. Nanase Haruka?" She called.

"Teacher! Nanase Haruka is a boy!" Came the random outburst. The entire class erupted in laughter, even I couldn't stifle a giggle myself. Who in the world said that? I turned around to the direction of the voice and saw a familiar brunette holding and raising a dark haired boy's hand. It was that boy I met in the summer of last year. I felt myself smile warmly at the fact that we are in the same school,and grade.  
"Yes well, thank you for clearing that up Makoto." said with laughter still in her voice.

After Attendance, we spent the rest of the morning listening to Ms. Amakata's lecture on what to expect from this year, to enjoy our youth, and she even shared some funny stories.  
Then came lunch time. I tapped my nails against the wooden desk, trying to distract myself. Several desks had been pushed together, everyone formed their own little group circles, and were chatting amongst themselves while enjoying their Boxed lunches, except for the one kid that isolated himself and buried his head in his beige book, which had a cover of a black flower that stared upwards with its single eyeball. The different scents of food blended together and drifted up my nostrils in perfect harmony, though my stomach only growled out of jealousy and negligence. This was hell, I had to get out of here! I escaped the heavenly scent by heading to the rooftop. Some people were also having lunch and chatting, but as long as I didn't eyeball their food and stayed away, I'd be better off. I isolated myself to the edge of the rooftop and leaned over the wall overlooking the town, and took in the beautiful scene.  
The sky today looked really pretty even though it was accompanied by several clouds. One of them looks like...Takoyaki on a stick, yeah! And that one looks like-! _Guuuuuuuu~_

I was cut off by the furious growling of my stomach . Oh man if this is me now, I don't know how I'm gonna make it through the rest of the day. '_I suppose I should drink water till I'm full...'I_ thought pathetically. As I pushed myself away from the wall, I saw two of my classmates approach me- the dark haired boy from class, and the brunette I met last summer. I smiled to myself at the recollection of what happened in class.  
"Hey there." The brunette greeted with a warm smile as he approached me. "It's been a while."

"It's you, how've you been? Ahmmm…" I trailed off at the lack of not remembering his name.

" Oh, sorry, we're not properly introduced. I'm Makoto Tachibana, It's a pleasure to meet you again." We both glanced over at the dark haired boy expectantly, who only had his gaze elsewhere. Makoto rolled his eyes playfully and lightly elbowed Haruka's arm.

"I'm Haruka Nanase." He said in monotone, while turning his head to face me.

"We're childhood friends." Makoto added.

"I see. I'm _ _. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"You say this isn't the first time you guys meet?" Haruka questioned.  
Makoto gave a shake of his head. "I met her last year in the summer. She delivered pizza to my house."

"Do you guys have Mackerel as toppings?" Haruka asked. I couldn't help but snicker at his question.

"No, but we add anchovies."

He tsked and looked to the side again.

"You just lost a customer." He said simply, which caused me to chuckle.  
I peeked at Makoto, he was looking between us with an amused smile.

"Were you our customer in the first place? Besides, I quit that job a while back. I only work part time in the summer." I stated.

"Haruka just really likes Mackerel, every time I go over his house, he's eating that." Makoto mentioned. I grimaced at the thought of eating the same kind of fish everyday. Does that include breakfast, lunch, and dinner,too?! Ewwww.

"Say, Now that I remembered-why _did_ you run off that night?" Makoto inquired to me, snapping me out of my thoughts. What's he talki-ohhhh. He remembered that? I smiled bash fully and stroked the back of my neck.

"Well you see- I didn't want to take anymore of your time, It was just a simple delivery." I meekly explained.  
Makoto furrowed his eyebrows in worry,and crossed his arms. "Still...girls shouldn't walk alone in the middle of the night.." He trailed off. I was gonna reply when my stomach intervened and kept all our mouths shut with its boisterous growl. I felt my cheeks begin to burn at that instant, it sounded so incredibly unladylike. I diverted my gaze to the ground in embarassment.  
"You haven't eaten?" Makoto asked in a worried tone. "In that case, let's get something to eat." He suggested. We turned to head for the exit, As we were walking, I felt Makoto slow his pace behind me. I turned my head and saw that his attention was diverted elsewhere, and I followed his gaze to a red-headed girl sitting with her friends. I didn't know what the deal was, so I hurried to catch up with Haruka who was up front, and hopefully Makoto would pick up the pace, too.

"Have you guys eaten lunch yet?" I asked as we entered the building, the steel door slamming behind us.

"Yeah. We just went to the roof to find you afterwards, because we didn't see you in class." Makoto answered. We turned towards another flight of stairs, the halls weren't as packed with people lingering and walking around.

"Haruuuuuu!" Rang a voice through the halls.

A blonde shorty was charging towards us at top speed. When he skipped four steps and reached our ground level, I backed up to get out of his way, and my back bumped into Makoto's chest. I was unaware that he was so close behind me. I faced him to apologize, but he just gave me that smile that would do the talking for him. _'It's fine._' His smile was so contagious, I found myself mirroring his expression before turning back to Haruka and the Blonde boy, and what a cute scene this was. The blonde boy had Haruka in a tight hug, and was nuzzling his head against Haruka's chest while saying "I finally found you!" Haruka only struggled to get out of his grip, he looked more confused than the rest of us. The blonde boy released him to admire him fully, and then he finally took notice of us.

"Mako! you're here too?!" He squealed with delight. "It's me, Nagisa Hazuki! I swam with you and Haru back in elementary school!" He said at Makoto's awkward look, hoping to spark any memories as to who the blonde boy.

"Haru...?" Haruka repeated.

"Mako..?" Makoto repeated.

They both looked at each other before it had finally clicked.

"Nagisa!?" They both exclaimed, facing the short blonde. Nagisa only flashed a childish smile at their reaction.

"Say guys, why don't we catch up while we eat?" I hurriedly suggested while grabbing Nagisa's and Makoto's wrist, and pulling them along with me. If we don't get a move on now, I'll never get to eat!

"Eh? But I ate already." Nagisa Objected. I simply ignored him and  
dragged them to the school store, before I finally released my hold on their wrists. They were already catching up on the way there.

"Hold on to that thought Nagisa." Said Makoto with laughter in his tone."_, what do you want to get?"

"Welcome!" Greeted the store clerk.

I looked around at my options "what's the cheapest thing around here..?" I muttered to myself.

"Don't think about that, just pick whatever you like." Makoto affirmed.

I tapped my chin in thought. "In that case, I'll take the Fried Soba Bread."

I saw Makoto look at me from my peripheral vision. "Are you sure?" he asked. I couldn't see his face very well, but I could tell from his tone that he was still doubtful that I really wanted to get the fried soba bread. I turned to him and nodded in assurance.

"Yes please."

The store clerk was looking between us. "So Fried Soba Bread, then." He confirmed, and went to reach for said food. "That'll be 120 yen." He said while handing the fried soba bread over to me. Makoto pulled out his wallet which was completely black, but had white patterns on it that formed the design of a killer whale. He carefully placed the money in the palm of the store clerk's hand.

"Thank you very much, please come again." said the store clerk with a hearty grin, and slightly bowed to us. We turned back to Nagisa, and Haruka.

"Let's go to the roof you guys, I don't want to go back to class yet." Nagisa suggested.

We made it back to the roof, the people that were here previously, including that red-headed girl, no longer there. The guys walked over to the edge of the roof, and looked at the view while I just sat against the wall next to them. I was listening to their conversation while taking a nice long bite of my bread. My mouth tingled at the contact. _'Goodness, this tastes SO good right now._' I thought merrily, My stomach growled in agreement with me.  
"So Nagisa, what happened after the swimming school shut down? We just didn't see you again." Makoto wondered.

"Well, I went to a different school, but when I found out Haru went to Iwatobi Highschool, I just had to come here as well, because I enjoyed swimming with him!" He answered cheerfully. So he came here just to be with Haruka, that's awfully cute. They must be really close.

"We'd have to swim elsewhere, because the pool here hasn't been used, and there's no swimming club here." Makoto explained.

"But I wanted to swim with Haruuu." Nagisa moaned childishly.

"Also, I quit swimming competitively." Haruka added, causing Nagisa to moan even more. I took the last bite of my bread, and sighed contently at the good feeling of a satisfied stomach. I stood up, brushed the dirt off my uniform skirt, then turned to face the guys.

"Thank you for the food Makoto!" I said, cutting in their conversation.

Makoto looked back at me. "No problem." He said with a smile.

"But That was the reason why I came to this school, to swim with you!" Nagisa said, looking at Haruka incredulously, and getting back on the main subject.

Makoto chuckled. "He may have quit swimming competitively, but he still loves the morning I even found him soaking in the tub."

"Doesn't that just mean he likes taking baths?" Nagisa countered. "Oh! I just remembered. Our old swim school? They're tearing it down tomorrow." Haruka and Makoto looked at Nagisa with wide eyes.

"Seriously?!" Makoto said in disbelief.

"Yeah, you didn't know?"

Makoto was going to say something else when the familiar chime rang again. It was time to get back to class.

"We'll continue this after school." Makoto announced before we all raced back to class.

The rest of the day was spent with different teachers walking in, introducing themselves, and giving similar, unoriginal lectures. I would turn back occasionally to see Haruka with different postures looking out the window, and Makoto trying his hardest to remain attentive. Before I knew it, my first school day had ended, and it was rather interesting. Makoto and Haruka were standing around after the bell rang, were they waiting for me? I hurriedly collected my things and put them in my school bag before approaching them.

"That went on forever." Haruka commented with a yawn.

"At least it's over now. More importantly, I can't believe they're tearing down our school." Makoto said with a tinge of melancholy. His expression turned soft, as I approached him and Haruka. "Ready to go?"

I nodded to him and we walked along. When we reached outside, Nagisa was already there waiting for us.

"Let's go guys!" He instructed, starting off in a different direction than what was initially planned for us.

"Uh Nagisa, go where?" Makoto asked, dumbfounded. Nagisa froze in his tracks and looked at Makoto as though he had said something offensive.

"Don't you want to go to our old swim school before they knock it down?" Nagisa questioned.  
"But it's closed. That would be trespassing, wouldn't it?" Makoto said, bringing up a good point.

Nagisa furrowed his brows and looked down at the ground in thought. "Aha!" He blurted out while bringing down a fist on the palm of his hand. "We sneak in!" He declared.

"Not doing it." Haruka stated simply, turning his head elsewhere.

Nagisa deflated and quickly ran upto Haruka, and gripped his Uniform shirt. "Why not Haruka? please, please, please." He begged.

"No, it's troublesome." Haruka said indifferently. Makoto left my side and approached Haruka, he stood in his line of vision, and placed a hand on Haruka's shoulder.

"Humor Nagisa. Plus, they have a swimming pool there." Makoto said persuasively.

Haruka turned his head back towards Nagisa. "Fine." He muttered. _'This guy must really like water, cuz that was what certainly changed his mind.'_

"Yay!" Nagisa cheered. "Then we should get ready right away. Let's change out of our uniforms, then meet up, and go!" He directed.

"What about _?" Makoto questioned.

"Who's that?" Nagisa asked, looking completely clueless. _'Wait, what the hell Nagisa? Wasn't I with you this entire time? _

"I'm right here." I announced.

"Oh!" He exclaimed and came over to me. "Sorry, I got caught up. it's been so long since I've seen them." He explained apologetically. _'If he puts it that way, how could I be mad? And don't look at me with those puppy eyes!  
_  
I smiled warmly at him " It's fine, I understand." Nagisa flashed me a bright smile in response. _'So cute!'_

"I'm Nagisa Hazuki by the way. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier." He said while gesturing to himself. _' It was a little late for introductions,but better late than never, right?'  
_  
"And I'm _ _, likewise." I said while bashfully scratching the back of my neck.

"How did you guys meet her? In elementary school after I moved?" Nagisa asked, looking between me and the other two boys.

"No." Makoto chuckled. "I met her once last year, and it turns out that we're in the same grade and homeroom."

"We should bring her with us to see our old swim school!" Nagisa proposed gleefully.

"No Nagisa, it's one thing that we are sneaking in there, but if we get caught, we'll get in trouble. I don't want to drag _ into it." Said Makoto, disapproving of Nagisa's proposition_. 'It would be a huge lie to say I didn't want to go, I've never snuck into a school at night before. I felt warm knowing that Nagisa wanted to bring me along although we had just met, and I felt even nicer at the fact that Makoto didn't want me going in order to protect me_.' I spoke up when I saw the defeated look in Nagisa's eyes when he glanced at me.

"Hey, It's alright Nagisa. That's your old swim school, right? It wouldn't make sense for me to go if three childhood friends are going back to a place where they met and shared memories together, especially if it's going to be demolished." I don't know what I said, but they all looked at me with surprise and perhaps with a sense of awe? Even Haruka looked slightly amused. Despite that, I continued. "If I went, wouldn't it in a way ruin the memory? You guys can tell me all about it tomorrow, yeah? Thanks for inviting me, though." I said in deep sincerity.

They all looked at me unbelievably speechless, well Haruka is excused-he's mostly quiet. Anywho, If I linger here any longer I'll be even more upset at the fact that I can't go, so I turned on my heel to leave.

"See you all later." I said, bidding them goodbye.

"Tomorrow." Makoto said

I turned around in confusion. "Huh?"

"We'll hang out tomorrow, right?" It sounded more like a statement than a question, and his reassuring smile only added to that effect. I sent him back that same smile.

"Of course." I turned back on my hee,l and began walking in the opposite direction than they were headed.

After a few minutes of walking, I turned my head around to look back at them, they were ways away, but From the back I could see Nagisa making funny gestures with his hands, who knew what he was talking about? Makoto was nodding his head, and I'd see Haruka with his head turned, giving Nagisa his full attention. Although I had just met them all today, I really did enjoy being with them, and surely there were more days to come for me to hang with them, So why did I feel my defense shatter as soon as I turned to leave..? Perhaps because after a fun school day like this, I'll be going straight home? Yeah, that must be it.

_'Home.._' I sighed.

* * *

**I threw in a Cameo. they're nameless for certain reasons, but i enjoy eastereggs and all that jazz, so if you'd like, spot them out. : ) they wont heavily influence in the story in any way, if i can, i put them in just for fun, so if you think you know what it is-post it in the review. they wont be in every chapter, I'll tell you when. alrighty, so 1 cameo, and here's a hint, they belong in a highschool anime! mad specific right?**


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